Page 49 of Mace
By the time I pull into the industrial estate where the clubhouse is located, every part of me is on edge. There are days I wonder if it would just be easier to put a bullet in Crank’s head. I don’t know how Ravage can allow this fucking scumbag to remain leading our chapter.
The only reason Manchester ended up dragged into the shit with the Pioneers, the reason Trick lost his wife, and the reason we buried so many brothers, was because of Crank’s inaction.
If he’d been more proactive, none of that shit would have ever happened.
I park my bike, kicking down the stand, and I remove my helmet as I’m rushing into the clubhouse.
I pass it to one of the prospects on the door, who gives me a look as yelling reaches my ears. Fucking great. This is going to be messy.
Pushing through the doors, I’m not sure anything could have prepared me for what I see.
Sandy is on her knees in the middle of the room, her head bleeding. Nicky is standing in front of her, squaring up to Crank, who is holding a piece of wood in his hand.
Chloe is the one doing the yelling, even though Blade’sstrong arms are wrapped around her, holding her tight against his chest. Her thrashing against him is futile, but she keeps attacking as if she can match his huge bulk.
I can’t understand what she’s screaming about, her words are so hysterical, but I’m guessing it might have something to do with her mother bleeding on the floor.
I ignore all the chaos around me, heading straight for Nicky and Crank. My priority will always be my best friend, and as I sidle up next to him, I can tell the moment he realises I’m with him. His shoulders relax a little, his stance growing a little taller. The only brothers in the room are ones we suspect to be loyal to Crank, which makes it seem like Nicky is at a disadvantage.
“What are you gonna do, Nicky?” Crank demands, smirking.
Smug fucker. He knows Nicky is never going to disrespect his status as President, but fuck, I can’t wait for the day we can drag him off the throne he’s built for himself.
“You wanna see what I’m gonna do?”
My best friend’s words are calmly delivered, but the bite of anger in his tone is unmistakable. “What’s going on?” I ask, my eyes bouncing between them.
“What’s going on is that my Sergeant at Arms has forgotten who he’s supposed to be protecting, and it sure as fuck isn’t former club pussy.” He glances around Nicky as he says this, spitting the words in Sandy’s direction.
Fucking asshole.
Sandy might have been a club bunny back in the day, but she was still club, and her kid is potentially the daughter of one of our brothers.
“I ain’t forgotten shit. You have. Clearly states in thebylaws that we don’t hurt women or children. Even if it didn’t, takes a low man to strike a woman,” Nicky says.
Crank’s jaw twitches, his mouth pulling up into a snarl. “Careful, Phoenix. Remember who you’re talking to.”
“Nicky’s right. We don’t attack unarmed women, Crank,” I say.
“She wasn’t unarmed. She came at me with this.” He lifts the piece of wood in his hand, a thick piece of two-by-four.
“So, you clobbered her back with it?” I ask, even though I already know the answer. This prick’s sense of survival is unmatched. He would leave every single brother in this clubhouse to die if it meant saving his own hide.
“I defended myself,” he counters. “And I don’t answer to you, Mace.”
I saw so much violence over the years against the women in my life that I can’t bear it. My mother was always getting knocked around by guys she used for drink and drugs. In foster care, I saw even more violence despite only being in the system for a short time. It shouldn’t have been that way, but sometimes, the system is worse than being out there alone. Sometimes, it’s worse than living with my mother.
“Take your fuckin’ hands off Chloe,” I growl at Blade.
His eyes bounce to Crank, and I grit my teeth. I don’t trust him, and I trust Crank even less. “Okay, but what happens next is on you.”
He releases his hold on her, and Chloe flies at her mother, shrieking like she’s fucking possessed. Sandy barely gets her hands up as the first few blows land.
What the fuck?
I snag the girl around the waist, tugging her back against my body as her arms and legs flail.Fucking feral bitch.
Nicky scratches his temple, his jaw tight as our eyes meet over Chloe’s.